Norma Torres

Norma Judith Torres, (née Barillas /ˈtɒrɛs/; born April 4, 1965)[2] is an American politician. She is a member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 35th congressional district. Previously, she was a member of the California State Senate representing the 35th district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.[3]

Norma Torres
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 35th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byGloria Negrete McLeod
Member of the California State Senate
from the 35th district
In office
May 20, 2013 – November 30, 2014
Preceded byGloria Negrete McLeod
Succeeded byConnie Leyva (Redistricted)
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 52nd district
61st district (2008–2012)
In office
December 1, 2008 – May 20, 2013
Preceded byNell Soto
Succeeded byFreddie Rodriguez
Mayor of Pomona
In office
April 3, 2006 – December 1, 2008
Preceded byEdward Cortez
Succeeded byElliot Rothman
Member of the Pomona City Council
from the 6th district
In office
January 8, 2001 – April 3, 2006
Preceded byWillie White
Succeeded bySteven Bañales
Personal details
Born
Norma Judith Barillas[1]

(1965-04-04) April 4, 1965
Escuintla, Guatemala
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Louis Torres
Children3
EducationMt. San Antonio College
Rio Hondo College
National Labor College (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and career

Torres was born Norma Judith Barillas in Guatemala.[2] When she was five, she and her uncle came to the United States; her mother died a year later.[4][3] She originally arrived on a tourist visa, but became a legal resident in her teens and gained citizenship in 1992.[5]

Torres worked as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, and in 1994 led a campaign to require the hiring of bilingual 9-1-1 operators.[6] She was an active member of AFSCME, serving as local 3090's shop steward. She served on the Pomona city council before being elected the city's mayor in 2006.[5] In 2008, Torres endorsed then-presidential candidate Barack Obama before Hillary Clinton withdrew from the race, and was a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention. She was elected to the State Assembly in November 2008, filling the vacancy left by former legislator Nell Soto, who retired. She earned her bachelor's degree in labor studies from the now defunct National Labor College in Maryland in 2012.[7][4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Torres was elected to the U.S. House of Representative for California's 35th congressional district in 2014, defeating Christina Gagnier (D) with 63.5% of vote.[8] She was reelected in 2016, defeating Tyler Fischella (R) with 72.4% of the vote.[8] In 2018, Torres received 69.4% of the vote to defeat Christian Valiente (R),[8] and in 2020, she defeated Republican Mark Cargile with 69.3%.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Torres is married to Louis Torres. They live in Pomona, California.[12] They have three children, all sons, including Robert Torres, a Pomona City Council member.[13]

See also

References
  1. Kevin Freking A child of Guatemala seeks a seat in Congress
  2. Chief Clerk of the California State Assembly, Secretary of the California State Senate, 2009-10 California Legislature (PDF), State of California, archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2010, retrieved August 11, 2011
  3. "Biography". house.gov. n.d. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. "Dangers Propelled Norma Torres to Move to U.S., Then to Politics". Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  5. Kevin Freking (September 6, 1994). "A child of Guatemala seeks a seat in Congress". Associated Press. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  6. "Congresswoman Norma Torres". Federal Communications Commission. April 17, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  7. "Biography". Congresswoman Norma Torres. December 11, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  8. "California's 35th Congressional District". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  10. "Members". Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  11. "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  12. Yingling, Jennifer (November 7, 2018). "Torres". TheHill. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  13. "Pomona Councilman Arrested on Suspicion of Possession of Child Porn". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Gloria Negrete McLeod		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 35th congressional district
2015–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Elise Stefanik		 United States Representatives by seniority
237th		 Succeeded by
Bonnie Watson Coleman
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